News: Teenagers still buying butane - 27th Jan 07 - The Sunday Times

Teenagers still buying butane

Raquel de Brito

January 27, 2007 03:00pm

YOUNG teens still find it a breeze to buy butane gas from Perth shops despite Government moves to keep the lethal substance off the shelves.

Police stripped cans from the shelves of one store after The Sunday Times saw a 16-year-old girl buy a can, no questions asked.

About 70 cans were kept on a low shelf at Crazy Clark's Discount Variety store in Armadale, the suburb where Dayle Koch lived. The golden-haired 16-year-old died of a butane overdose at a Kelmscott party, on the eve of Mother's Day last year.

An investigation by The Sunday Times this week revealed the gas was easily available at several shops in Perth.

Dayle's parents and Health Minister Jim McGinty expressed their outrage on Friday.

Following Dayle's death, the State Government introduced a code of practice aimed at eradicating to eradicate butane abuse by children.

Under the code, retailers are required to store butane behind their counters or in locked cupboards.

Jessica, 16, who bought butane at Crazy Clark's on Thursday, said: ``I was shocked. I just went through the checkout and they didn't even blink an eye. It was like I was buying make-up or something; they were that casual about it.''

Dayle's mother, Lee, Koch said she was dumbfounded that teens could still buy butane so easily.

She found more than five major retailers with butane on their shelves, through investigations of her own.

``I asked the store manager (at one supermarket) if he knew about the code,'' she said. ``He said he'd heard about it. I explained the code to him and he said he'd look into it.

``When I went back to the store two weeks later, it was still on the shelves.

``It seems to be the major retailers that aren't following the code.

Ms Koch said she couldn't understand why retailers were not storing butane behind the counter or locked in cupboards.

``It's such a simple thing to do and yet they are not doing their duty.''

She said retailers should be fined if they violated the code.

Mr McGinty branded the shops as irresponsible and said they could be dealt with severely.

``I would be very angry if retailers were selling butane or other volatile substances to children who were likely to abuse them,'' he said.

``If retailers are not prepared to put these substances behind the counter voluntarily, the Government will legislate to force them to comply and face tough penalties if they don't.''

Drug and Alcohol Office acting executive director Terry Murphy said police had intervened at Crazy Clark's Armadale and the cans were removed from shelves.

He said Section 206 of the Criminal Code made it unlawful to supply solvents if there was a reasonable expectation they would be used for intoxication.

And he said the voluntary code was still to take full effect.

``These things take a while to have full impact,'' he said.

``At this stage there's been wide publicity and an agreement from the Retail Traders Association of WA to follow the code.

``There will be a major drive to promote the code once the Christmas/January retail period is behind us.''

There have been four confirmed butane deaths in the past decade, including Dayle's, according to Mr Murphy.

Mr McGinty said the Government would review the code in a year to check it was working.

Crazy Clark's Armadale store manager refused to comment. The store's head office did not return our calls.

Mr Murphy urged the public to report instances of butane being sold to minors and shops that had it on display.

Call police on 131 444.

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